Today, Tori Forsyth, the award-winning powerhouse of Australian grunge-country, unveils her fourth studio album ‘Self Preservation’, featuring the new single ‘Dear Me’.

Written entirely by Tori, the 10-track album stands as her most confident and vulnerable work to date, blending her country roots and rock influences with poetic restraint and raw confession. Her willingness to question, reflect and sit with uncomfortable truths runs throughout the record as she explores humanity, religion, mental health, capitalism and belief.

Recorded over a two-week period at Grove Studios with acclaimed producer Scott Horscroft, the album features long-time band members Matthew Newton on guitar, Zachary Miller on bass and Reece Baines on drums, with Andy Mak on keys. There’s a palpable sense of camaraderie and passion throughout the record

Speaking about the album, Tori Forsyth shares, “this record is about the preservation of our souls. It's realising that life is a cycle and there is no finish line once you move through a hard thing. It's more of a continual death and rebirth, and if you fight your own death, it only makes it harder to be reborn. It's also learning that death isn't final; it's a requirement of being born again into something radically new. And sometimes that looks a little fractured, a little ugly, but the result is always fortifying and necessary. Preservation of self doesn't mean clinging to past versions of ourselves and hoping they survive death; it's allowing what must die to die and keeping intact the only thing we take with us, on our one final death, which is our souls.”

Since the release of her acclaimed 2024 album ‘All We Have Is Who We Are’, Tori has endured significant personal upheaval. After a serious car accident, the death of her dog, the end of a long-term relationship and almost losing her father, the fallout has been immensely overwhelming, so much so that she was ready to pull the plug on the recording entirely. Tori admits the process of creating this new album has been brutal but cathartic. 

Born out of a dark place, ‘Self Preservation’ ended up being the catalyst that ignited a renewed vigour in her life. Through the process, she learned that showing up imperfectly and allowing space for her humanity was far more important than trying to portray a perfect version of herself. 

Each song on ‘Self Preservation’ serves a purpose and contributes to the larger narrative of self-reflection and self-acceptance.The opening track and lead single, ‘I’m Not God’ sets the cinematic tone of the entire record. It’s the most delicate but also the most intense track on the record. Launching into ‘Notice The Roses’, the record shifts to an acoustic country sound. Following a similar ethos, it acts as a gentle reminder to stop and smell the roses and appreciate the little joys in life. ‘Greener Pastures’ follows suit, this time bringing an Appalachian-inspired soundscape to the record, with the jaw harp standing out as one of the most distinct and interesting elements on the record. Tori’s softer side is exposed with ‘You And Me’ soaked in both happiness and sadness. ‘First Born Daughters Are The Toughest Damn Sons’ sees Tori grappling with the expectation of having to be tough and play the figurative role of both son and daughter. ‘Guns And Little Girls’offers the album's first taste of a heavier, rock-leaning sound. The feminist rage anthem ‘Today IWoke Up And Chose Violence’ is laced with bursts of synth textures whilst an underlying rolling bass holds the tension.

The album’s duality is most explicitly expressed in ‘Satan In A Sunday Hat’, where Tori pokes fun at herself and her quirks, delivering the lyrics with a playful sense of humour. ‘Nothing Wrong WithMe’ rounds out the album and it is intrinsically Tori Forsyth. Never one to shy away from confronting and intricate topics, Tori explores the intersection of blame and ownership on this track, examining mental health and religion.

The poetically raw and reflective letter to herself ‘Dear Me’ provides an introspective and nuanced glimpse into Tori’s mind and sense of self. “Normally when I write songs I sit down and it’s a very intentional process, but this one was different,” Tori explains.”I woke up one morning at 3:00am and the line “Dear me, what kind of woman do you want to be?” was in my head, so I rolled over and wrote it down. Throughout the next day I wrote down all the thoughts I had about myself and it turned into this song, so it’s quite a personal reflection of my life and how I see it. There’s a line towards the end, ‘you've built many new walls since 2016’ and if you've been following me for a long time, you'll understand what that means… Making this record reminded me there is beauty in being human, beauty in the mess, the contradictions and everything else in between.  Once again, music has saved my life and I hope people listening can hear themselves somewhere within it.”